About live/online auctions?

[Meangreen]

Only ever had an issue at one live auction, but I will say I haven't been to a lot of auctions as an adult.

There was one or two small items at this auction I kind of wanted (in ring 1) and I was really only at the auction because a buddy of mine was following ring 2 to buy some tractor weights. As I'm standing with the crowd following #1 I begin to notice he's yelling out bids and his "helper" keeps pointing at me. I just turned and walked away as it was not items I wanted. I ended up waiting for the crowd to meander to what I wanted. I think I won 1 of the 2 items then I left to go hang with my buddy near ring #2.

 

[johnofnewhaven]

Well his helper is what you call a
ringman or ringperson and was pointing at
you to see if you wanted to bid. You might
have looked like you were interested and
possibly going to bid so the ring man was
doing his job.

 

[wilson ind]

Some time ago I placed a ford pickup on the sale docket. Wells auction of Worthington Ind held the auction . He asked what I would accept as low price. I told Wells $800.00. Very small crowd, bid olny went to $250.00. No sale. After sale asked for my title. Wells said I owed him comnision on the Title for EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS. I told Mr Wells of Worthington Induana He had just bought many $DOLLSRS worth of BAD PUBLICITY.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 11:21:26 05/04/23) Well his helper is what you call a
ringman or ringperson and was pointing at
you to see if you wanted to bid. You might
have looked like you were interested and
possibly going to bid so the ring man was
doing his job.

Auctioneers and ring men are good at reading interest.

He's only taking bids off you if he snaps his hand back into a fist (possibly even raising it above his head if there's a crowd), and (usually) says "YUP!" or "YES!" or something to that effect.

I've had the auctioneer stare me straight in the eye and take bids off me on more than one occasion.

Good auctioneers will eat their mistakes rather than admit them. If they get stuck with something because someone quit bidding unexpectedly, they have special buyer numbers for items that don't get sold. Sometimes they have one and it's obvious, other times they have a few and spread it around.

 

[johnofnewhaven]

Barnyard do you know why the ringman
uses a closed fist as opposed to and
open hand?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 06:32:11 05/05/23) Barnyard do you know why the ringman
uses a closed fist as opposed to and
open hand?

Just in case a grumpy old man goes after him for monkey business, he's ready to defend himself.

Seriously, I would theorize though that it's because bidders tend to wave an open hand to bid, and the auctioneer won't mistake a closed hand for a bid when he sees it out of the corner of his eye.

 

[johnofnewhaven]

Lol. I will go with your first
theory.